city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

Hamilton County, Ohio Hamilton County is located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 830,639, making it the List of counties in Ohio, third-most populous county in Ohio. The coun ...

inner suburb An inner suburb is a suburban community central to a large city, or at the inner city and central business district. The urban density is usually lower than the inner city or central business district, but higher than that of the city's rural� ...

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

Cincinnati metropolitan area The Cincinnati metropolitan area (also known as the Cincinnati Tri-State area or Greater Cincinnati) is a metropolitan area with its Urban area, core in Ohio and Kentucky. Its largest city is Cincinnati and includes surrounding counties in the U. ...

Somerset County, New Jersey Somerset County is a county located in the north-central part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 census, the county was the state's 13th-most-populous county,Millcreek in Sycamore Township, in present-day Lockland. In the spring of 1795, Harvey Redinbo, a

Pennsylvania Dutch The Pennsylvania Dutch (), also referred to as Pennsylvania Germans, are an ethnic group in Pennsylvania in the United States, Ontario in Canada, and other regions of both nations. They largely originate from the Palatinate (region), Palatina ...

man, visited from

Reading, Pennsylvania Reading ( ; ) is a city in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 95,112 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, fourth-most populous ...

. Pleased with the land that Voorhees had acquired, Redinbo purchased his own land, in the area of Hunt Road and Columbia Avenue. Around 1798, Voorhees

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...

ted a town named Voorhees-Town but did not record it with county officials until January 7, 1804. By then, Redinbo had convinced him to rename the town to Reading, after Redinbo's hometown. Between 1830 and 1880, Reading grew rapidly to become the largest village in Hamilton County. It was incorporated as a village on March 24, 1851. The village's major industry was clothing manufacturing. Benson Street Concrete Bowstring Bridge in color

Benson Street Concrete Bowstring Bridge in color

The Benson Street Bridge, built in 1901, spans Mill Creek on the city limit with Lockland. It was the second concrete rainbow arch bridge and the first in Ohio. As of 1912, Reading was a

sundown town Sundown towns, also known as sunset towns, gray towns, or sundowner towns, were all-white municipalities or neighborhoods in the United States. They were towns that practiced a form of racial segregation by excluding non-whites via some combinati ...

. African Americans were prohibited from living within the city or remaining there after dark. Most censuses from 1860 through 1960 recorded no African Americans in Reading. In 1903, the village council instituted a nightly

curfew A curfew is an order that imposes certain regulations during specified hours. Typically, curfews order all people affected by them to remain indoors during the evening and nighttime hours. Such an order is most often issued by public authorit ...

on youths under 16. A bell atop the town hall rang at the start of the curfew. In 1943, the curfew was revised to start later in the evening. By 1971, the law remained on the books but was no longer being enforced. Reading became a city on January 1, 1932. It withdrew from Sycamore Township on May 19, 1943, forming a

paper township The term paper township refers to a civil township under Law of Ohio, Ohio law that nominally exists for certain purposes but does not act as a functioning unit of civil government. Such townships usually exist on paper as a legal fiction due to ...

named "Reading Township".

Geography

Reading is located at (39.222709, -84.439036). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , all land. Reading is bordered by

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

's Roselawn neighborhood to the south, Amberley Village and Sycamore Township to the southeast, Blue Ash to the east, Evendale to the north, Lockland to the west, and Arlington Heights to the southwest. Mill Creek divides Reading from Lockland and Arlington Heights. Reading can be reached by car via

Interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from S ...

, Ohio State Route 126, or

U.S. Route 42 U.S. Route 42 (US 42) is an east–west United States highway that runs southwest–northeast for from Louisville, Kentucky to Cleveland, Ohio. The route has several names including Pearl Road from Cleveland to Medina in Northeast Ohio, Readi ...

. The northbound lanes of Mill Creek Expressway run along the city's west side, with exits onto Galbraith Road and Koehler Avenue. Ronald Reagan Cross County Highway has a complex interchange with Interstate 75 at Reading. Reading lies along

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...

's Dayton District and the Indiana and Ohio Railway's Oasis Subdivision.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, there were 10,600 people living in the city, for a population density of 3,669.09 people per square mile (1,416.64/km²). There were 5,059 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 81.3%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 9.9%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

or

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.1% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.2% from some other race, and 5.8% from two or more races. 2.8% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 4,941 households, out of which 19.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 24.7% had a male householder with no spouse present, and 27.5% had a female householder with no spouse present. 40.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12, and the average family size was 2.80. 17.3% of the city's population were under the age of 18, 65.8% were 18 to 64, and 16.9% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.4. For every 100 females, there were 94.7 males. According to the U.S. Census

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

, for the period 2016-2020 the estimated median annual income for a household in the city was $56,929, and the median income for a family was $77,386. About 10.6% of the population were living below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 18.1% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over. About 63.8% of the population were employed, and 22.6% had a bachelor's degree or higher.

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 10,385 people, 4,554 households, and 2,624 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 4,962 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 89.1%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 7.3%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.1% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.7% of the population. There were 4,554 households, of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.0% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.4% were non-families. 36.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.97. The median age in the city was 39.5 years. 21.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.2% were from 25 to 44; 27.5% were from 45 to 64; and 14.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.1% male and 50.9% female.

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 11,292 people, 4,885 households, and 2,921 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 5,128 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.69%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 3.20%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.16% Native American, 1.18% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.51% from other races, and 1.25% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.79% of the population. There were 4,885 households, out of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.2% were non-families. 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.96. In the city the population was spread out, with 22.5% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $39,140, and the median income for a family was $51,858. Males had a median income of $35,466 versus $26,250 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $23,527. About 4.7% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 7.8% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Like other communities in the Mill Creek Valley, Reading has an economy dominated by heavy industry, including suppliers for aerospace and automotive plants in nearby Sharonville and Evendale.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is an American life science and clinical research company. It is a global supplier of analytical instruments, clinical development solutions, specialty diagnostics, laboratory, pharmaceutical and biotechnology s ...

's

Patheon Patheon is a service brand within Thermo Fisher Scientific's brand portfolio. Contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) services offered under the Patheon brand include small molecule API, biologics, viral vectors, cGMP plasmids, ...

subsidiary operates a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant on in the city. The Bridal District along Benson Street in downtown Reading is the most well-known concentration of wedding-related businesses in the United States. The electronics store chain Steinberg's was founded and based in Reading until its bankruptcy and liquidation in 1997.

Government

Reading uses a mayor–council form of government. The city council consists of a tie-breaking President of Council, four members representing

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

s, and three at-large members. , the Mayor of Reading is Robert "Bo" Bemmes and the current council president is Kevin Mattscheck. Reading is one of 23 municipalities in Hamilton County that maintains a mayor's court, in which traffic cases and other misdemeanor cases are heard by a

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

. At the federal level, Reading is located within

Ohio's 2nd congressional district Ohio's 2nd congressional district is a district in southern Ohio. It is currently represented by Republican David Taylor. The district includes all of Adams, Brown, Pike, Clermont, Highland, Clinton, Ross, Pickaway, Hocking, Vinton ...

. At the state level, Reading belongs to the 28th House district and 8th Senate district. See

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in ...

and

Ohio Senate The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of t ...

for the current representatives of the respective state districts.

Education

Reading is served by the Reading Community City School District, which includes Reading High School. A new Pre K-12 school opened up Monday September 9, 2019. Reading also includes a Roman Catholic all-girl's high school,

Mount Notre Dame High School Mount Notre Dame High School (MND) is a Catholic, college-preparatory high school for young women. The school is affiliated with the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur as a part of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. History In the early 19th century, ...

, where the daughter of Civil War general

William Tecumseh Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a General officer, general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), earning recognit ...

was one of the first students. Also included is a Catholic elementary school, Sts. Peter and Paul Academy serve students in grades K-8. Reading is served by a branch of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County.

Media

Reading is part of the Cincinnati media market for newspapers, radio, and television. WMKV (89.3 FM) broadcasts from a

retirement community A retirement community is a residential community or housing complex designed for older adults who are generally able to care for themselves. Assistance from home care agencies is allowed in some communities, and activities and socialization op ...

in Reading.

Notable people

* Ed Biles, professional football coach,

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston, Texas, from its founding in 1960 Houston Oilers season, 1960 to 1996 Houston Oilers season, 1996. The Houston Oilers began play as a charter member of the Ame ...

*

John Boehner John Andrew Boehner ( ; born , 1949) is an American politician who served as the 53rd speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2011 to 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he served 13 terms as the U.S. representative ...

,

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by Davi ...

from 2011 to 2015 * Rick Christophel, professional football coach,

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

* Ralph Davis, professional basketball player * Richard E. Meyer, businessman and record producer * Brian O'Connor, professional baseball pitcher *

Merle Robbins Merle Robbins (September 12, 1911 – January 14, 1984) was an American barber from Reading, Ohio, who invented the card game Uno (card game), UNO. In 1971, he invented UNO to resolve an argument with his son Ray, a teacher, about the rules o ...

, inventor of the card game Uno * Joseph G. Wilson, Republican politician in Oregon * DeShawn Wynn, professional football player

References

External links

City website

Reading Community Schools
{{Authority control Cities in Hamilton County, Ohio Cities in Ohio Sundown towns in Ohio 1851 establishments in Ohio Populated places established in 1851

History

Geography

Demographics

2020 census

2010 census

2000 census

Economy

Government

Education

Media

Notable people

See also

References

External links